Newsletter

Mother Earth News Cares

Cheryl Long is the editor of a national magazine about
the environment called Mother Earth News. I met with Ms. Long
this morning and learned a little bit about how Mother Earth News
makes a difference not only in the community but in the world.
Mother Earth News is a magazine that has been around since
1970. Long has been editor at the magazine for eight years. She says
the magazine covers about five categories: organic gardening, do-it-
yourself projects, renewable energy (solar, wind, etc.), homesteading
(livestock, farming, etc.), and natural health. The magazine
encourages self-reliant living where people are doing more for
themselves and less dependent on outside sources. They have a
green angle--an environmental angle.
Long always had an interest in the things Mother Earth News
covers. She feels the magazine is a good fit for her. Before
moving to Topeka to be editor, she built a log cabin in Washington
and enjoyed and still enjoys gardening, wood-working projects,
and other aspects of caring for the environment.
One of the favorite issues of Long's is about nutrient
testing on eggs from free range chickens. She has covered the
concerns about the industrial agricultural system. They discovered
that if chickens are outside all day eating worms, insects, and
grass in addition to whatever they are usually fed, the nutrient
content of their eggs is profoundly better in multiple ways than
the nutrients of the industrial eggs. The eggs are rich in Vitamin
D. The magazine received national coverage for this research.
Long lives outside of Topeka on eight acres. She has a big
garden. She has lived in Pennsylvania and also Lincoln, Nebraska.
Long enjoys gardening and is fascinated by plants and enjoys her
chickens and also her electric bicycle which was made for her by
a gentleman in Topeka. She rides to and from work.
Long advises people wanting to go into the editorial side
of publishing that one has to love language and have an interest
in being clear. She said it's about learning new things and passing
them along.
A typical day for Long is reading articles and suggesting changes
and additional things to add to them. She works on the website, which
reaches many people. The entire archive of fourty years is
on the web.
Long was born in Smith Center, Kansas. She enjoys the change
of seasons and the climate. She likes the Midwest and the prairies.
Long feels that her focus is her job and hopes that the
magazine helps people to know the effects of culture and how it
affects the environment. She says her focus is making the magazine
as compelling as it can possibly be to the people who choose to
read it, many of whom are right here in Topeka. Long is definitely
a person who makes a difference. She and the staff at Mother Earth
News are people who care.